The 1970 General Election Flashcards
1
Q
The Selsdon Park Conference & The ‘Selsdon Man (Conservative 1970 Manifesto)
A
- Heath’s approach to economy, break away from post-war consensus, agreed at a meeting in Selsdon Park
- Sometimes referred to as the ‘New Right’
- Agreed to promote laissez-faire
- Encourage people to use their new freedom to promote their own interests
- Wilson devised insulting term for Heath, ‘Selsdon Man’, imaginary, selfish Conservative man, rejecting the post-war consensus
2
Q
Conservatives 1970 Manifesto
A
1) Tax reform
2) Better law & order
3) Reform to trade unions
4) Immigration control (!)
5) Cut to public spending
6) End to public subsidy to ‘lame duck’ industries
3
Q
Reasons For Conservative Win
A
- Conservatives 1951-1964 leadership was generally positive
- Conservatives consistently ahead in opinion polls
- Heath’s approach to break away from the post-war consensus, promote laissez-faire
- Significant reason for success, Enoch Powell
- Despite being dismissed after his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, his opinion on immigration gained 2.5 million Conservative voters
- R.W John: claims that the speech won them the election
- Argued that this was achieved as racist anti-immigrant sentiment, appealed to white working class, traditional Labour/Liberal voters
- 50% of voters who switched their votes were w/c ‘Powellites’
4
Q
Reasons For Labour Loss
A
- White Heat of Technology had failed to resolve long-term economic problems
- 1967 devaluation of the Sterling
- Britain’s second EEC rejection in 1967, made government’s economic policies look like a total failure
- Left-wing Labour voters angry at Wilson for failing to publicly condemn the Vietnam War
- Right-wing Labour voters angry at the withdrawal from East of Suez, Wilson opposing white minority rule in Rhodesia
- Opposition to the ‘permissive society’ by the traditional segment of society, represented by Mary Whitehouse
- Failure to control trade unions, ‘Wildcat Strikes’, trade union anger of gov blaming financial difficulties on the strikers
- Abandoning of proposed White Paper, In Place of Strife, lost considerable amount of support among moderate voters
